Such Failures
by Starlightlovesya123
Summary: Sonic has become corrupted by fame and fortune, and Tails isn't sure he likes this new version of his old friend. However, Tails has his own problems, as does Blaze, who now must suffer the consequences of love on her own. Sonic/Blaze, Tails/Marine.
1. Nothing's Ever Simple

**November 21****st****.**

**Station Square, Mobius.**

**Sonic's Dimension.**

"Ladies and Gentleman, I am proud to announce…that Sonic the Hedgehog has arrived!!"

A great crowd, which had gathered at the base of a giant platform, immediately erupted into cheers, watching as the door of a sleek black limousine opened. About a second later, a red shoe with a single white stripe appeared, and then a blue leg. Finally, Sonic the Hedgehog climbed out of the limousine and into the chaotic world of stardom.

He walked out towards the center of the platform, waving and grinning cockily at the audience, a few girls fainting when he sent a wink in their general direction. Almost instantly, five microphones and about twenty scraps of paper were shoved under his nose, and several reporters started asking him questions all at once. He chuckled, raising his hands and saying, "Please, please. One at a time, one at a time. That way, everyone gets a shot at getting a few words out of _this_." He raced across the stage at a supersonic pace, causing a group of female civilians in the crowd to cry, "I love you, Sonic!! Ieeee!!!"

Sonic snickered, then ran back to the reporters, one of them instantly asking him, "How difficult was it to defeat the Egg Ship, an arsenal greater than any Doctor Eggman has built so far?"

The blue hedgehog gave a charming smile, replying, "Well, as always, it was a piece of cake. I mean, with these feet, it's just hard to lose." He then turned out to the crowd, shouting, "But, I never could have done it without you guys always cheering me on!"

A hundred more camera flashes went off and a thousand more cheers, as the hedgehog ran backwards across the stage, crossing his arms and closing his eyes, acting as though doing such was the easiest thing in the world. Every single girl in the audience—and several guys, at that—cooed, screaming his name at the top of their lungs.

"Will we expect to see the doctor anytime soon? Or, Sonic, would you think he's gone for good?" a tomcat enquired, passing him the microphone.

Sonic laughed, and took the microphone from him. He spoke strongly and confidently, "It is half past eleven in the evening, and I am most happy to say Doctor Eggman is officially, and eternally, gone for good! Guess he just couldn't take the heat." He winked, running in place and causing a great amount of friction with his feet. In fact, steam started rising from the soles of his shoes, and that just made the audience grow even crazier.

They were chanting his name now, a wave beginning through the crowd, as the hedgehog came up with all sorts of tricks to show off to the crowd. It was never dull, and everyone loved it.

He was a legend.

********

Tails shook his head slowly, disgusted by the image on the television screen. He could hardly believe that the two-faced, cocky-grinned hedgehog depicted was his best friend. Or, at least, he had been. At some point. Now…Tails just wasn't so sure.

He watched as Sonic ran in place again, then signed about a dozen more autographs, several of them in places on female bodies that made Tails turn his head away. He didn't want to watch this anymore. It made him sick.

A sniffle came from behind him, and he turned to find a familiar pink hedgehog, who was wearing a long red dress that fell down to her ankles. Her hair was combed long and wavy, a red bow positioned next to her left ear. A single tear fell from her eye, as she watched the one she had been infatuated with for most of her childhood become corrupted by the media.

"I miss him," she murmured.

Tails sighed. "I know. So do I."

Amy came over the couch, placing her hands on the backrest. Tails could feel her grip the couch tightly. "All this time, I've done everything to support him…we've _all_ done everything to support him…and he just throws it back in our faces." She gritted her teeth, tears filling her eyes and clouding her voice.

Tails was silent, as he continued to watch the stranger on the television screen.

"…I don't think Sonic will be back until late tonight, unless of course he starts sleeping with some of his fan girls," a deep voice concluded.

Tails and Amy averted their gaze to an ebony hedgehog, who was stepping into the room. He had blood red eyes that matched the color of the highlights in his quills, and wore black jeans and a long, black coat. He watched the screen with an emotionless gaze, but his posture seemed tense.

A low sob escaped Amy's lips, and she covered her mouth with her hand. "What exactly _happened_ to him?" She whispered. "A few years ago, Sonic never would have dreamed of acting like this."

Neither Shadow nor Tails answered, even though they both knew the answer.

Blaze had happened.

"_I'd just like to say that all of you have been so supportive to me in my life! You've really made my night, you know? Now that Eggman is gone, we can all live in peace again_!"

"He sounds like the prime minister," Tails muttered, shaking his head once again.

Amy's lower lip trembled and she shook her head, "I'm going to bed. Good night, Tails..."

"'…Good night."

"Evening, Shadow." The pink hedgehog said.

Shadow nodded his head in acknowledgement, and turned back to the screen when Amy had left. The two males noticed a few words appear onto the lower part of the screen, just below the grinning Sonic. They read "_**Sonic the Hedgehog. Our hero, and our only hero to be."**_

"It's so unfair," Tails finally admitted, "Sonic didn't do all of this by himself. I was there, you were there, all of us were there." Tails turned to Shadow, whose eyes remained on the screen, "It wasn't just Sonic."

"Mm..." Shadow looked towards Tails. "Now you should know fully well that Sonic the Hedgehog is not who you thought he was." 

"Several years ago he was," Tails corrected.

"And you know what has happened since those several years ago."

"Yeah, I know," Tails muttered, quietly. His bright blue eyes glanced back at the screen, as he turned off the television. Sonic's grinning face instantly disappeared.

The two watched a blank screen for a second or two, until Tails turned to Shadow, "Where did Marine go?" He asked.

Shadow's ear twitched, though he continued to watch the screen. After another second, he turned to Tails and replied, "I saw her a moment ago."

"Is she here?"

"No," Shadow answered. He took a glance to the window close by, "She went out, though I'm not sure where."

Tails followed Shadow's gaze, and nodded, "Alright. I need to thank her for her help today."

"Yes," Shadow mumbled, though it came out as though he was worried about something.

Tails frowned, confused by the sound of Shadow's tone. He turned around to ask the ebony hedgehog what was wrong, but wasn't surprised when he found Shadow had disappeared.

Tails sighed, and scratched the back of his head, standing up and grabbing his coat. He gritted his teeth, as he opened the door, a rush of cold wind blowing back his fur. It was only November in Mobius, and it was already freezing cold.

He took a glance around, hoping he'd see Marine, but had no such luck. The clock tower not far away told him that it was nearing midnight. He needed to bring Marine back home, if she was still out.

The two-tailed fox was amazed that he could still hear the screams of the crowd, even though the party was being held quite a few blocks away. He could just picture Sonic directing the crowd to dance and scream, as music played in the background. Tails recognized the song as _Live & Learn_, a favorite of Sonic's.

The selfish bastard. Being this loud at midnight. There was no way mothers would be able to get their children in bed tonight.

Tails exhaled, searching for Marine among the dim lighting of the street lamps. He wished that he could say she hadn't gone far, but knowing Marine, she probably had.

Which, unfortunately, meant that Tails had a while to walk around and think about Sonic, no matter how much he didn't want to. The so-called 'Hero'. What a load of bull. Sonic could never have done it without the help of Shadow, himself, Marine, Knuckles, hell, even Amy…But Sonic still gave himself all the credit, and so did the media. Tails had never once seen his name mentioned in the newspaper, nor had he seen any of Sonic's other "friends."

Sonic was now a very rich man. He lived on his own, in a grand home, with a grand amount of cars, and a grand amount of clothes, and a grand amount of girls following him wherever he went. It was every person's dream. Fame, fortune, and "happiness." But Tails had a hunch that Sonic was far from happy, no matter the cocky smirk on the hedgehog's face.

The vulpine raised his eyes to take a look at the beautiful midnight sky. The stars were glistening through the thick, black blanket and for a moment Tails felt something like peace. A separate sort of peace, that didn't belong here on Mobius, but belonged somewhere else. Somewhere where fame and fortune didn't exist, but happiness did. Tails wished he could escape to that place, if only for a moment. He didn't know how much more of Mobius he could take.

"'Ey, mate? You alroight?"

Tails turned abruptly around, to find the smiling figure of Marine. Once again, he was reminded of how attractive she had become over the years. Sparkling blue eyes and a clever smirk, with not half bad curves.

"I'm fine," he replied. "But, are you? It's awful cold out here, and you're not even wearing a scarf."

Marine snickered, shaking her head and walking up to him. "Tails, of all people, you should know that I 'ate scarves. They blow into yer face, ya know?"

Tails nodded, a slight smile forming on his lips. Marine had a way of cheering him up that no one else had. "Ready to go home, or are we still touring?" He teased her a bit.

Marine glanced around. "Just checking out the night. It's nice, despite the awful racket that drongo's making." She jerked her head towards where Sonic's party was.

"Yeah. Yeah, I know."

The raccoon shrugged, then said, "Wanna get some of that 'ot chocolate stuff? Knuckles told me it was good."

"Sure," Tails replied. "But, here." He took off his gloves, giving them to Marine, whose hands were already starting to look a little blue.

She smiled at him. "Thanks, but you dan't 'ave to."

He placed a hand on her back, gently pushing her forward, and whispering, "Yeah, I do."

She rolled her eyes, but the smile remained on her lips.

The two soon reached a small booth, where a sparrow civilian was selling coffee, hot chocolate, and various pastries. The place was practically deserted. Tails assumed that most people were either at Sonic's party, or at home, trying to sleep. Keyword: trying.

Marine ordered herself a hot chocolate from the tired-looking shopkeeper, and Tails merely asked for a water. Marine shot him a look, knowing how much he liked his sweets, and he shrugged, trying to give a grin, but failing.

Clutching their drinks in their cold hands, the pair started their walk home, both of them silently watching the flashing lights coming from Sonic's party and trying to tone out the intense music of _Seven Rings in Hand_.

"…Wanted to thank you for helping us today," Tails finally said, his eyes on the ground. "I know Sonic doesn't act like it, but we never would have won without you, you know."

She nodded, "'S nothin'. Glad to help."

More silence.

"…Marine?"

"Yeah?"

The fox sighed, coming to a stop, his two tails limply falling to the ground. "Marine, what are we doing?" He asked, his eyes rising to meet hers, their usual brightness turned dull.

She blinked, "Er…well, I'm pretty sure we're headed home, mate. Isn't that what you wanted to do?"

Tails shook his head. "That's not what I mean. I mean, what are _we_ doing? You and I. Together. Like…as a couple," he said.

She raised an eyebrow, still not exactly sure what he meant. "Tails, we're acting the same as anyone else, aren't we? I mean, we're not-" She stopped abruptly, her eyes flashing with sudden understanding. "Yer…yer don't mean you want to-"

He raised his hands, "No, no, no! That's not what I mean." The vulpine shook his head. "It's just…Shadow's said some things, and I'm beginning to think he's right."

Marine placed her hands on her hips, saying, "What? What 'as that drongo told you? Dan't yer listen to him, Tails, tha' hedgehog's got another thing comin'-"

"Marine, think of what we're causing. Giant rifts and holes in time and space. Keeping you from your dimension…we could be causing a disaster." Tails told her, closing his eyes.

The raccoon instantly calmed, blinking slightly. "…Oh. I thought he had…never moind."

She watched the floor again, exhaling. She hated when she and Tails landed on this topic of conversation. It was something neither of them wanted to talk about, and it always ended with them-

"I don't want you to go." Tails whispered. "But, I can't just keep pretending that you can stay here forever. We already sent Blaze back, but just sending her won't keep the universe in check. Shadow says that I need to get rebuilding the machine…that time won't just wait on us."

Marine remained silent, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

"And, no matter how much I postpone it, it's inevitable that I'll build that machine. Shadow will get suspicious, Sonic will get angry, not that I give a shit, anyway, but, I have to keep-"

"Tails."

The fox glanced up, to see Marine looking at him rather…strangely.

"…What?" He asked, raising an eybrow.

"Shut up, will yer?"

For the first time that night, he really grinned. "Yeah. Gladly."

"Good," the raccon smirked. Then she firmly placed her lips on his, and they stayed that way for quite a while.

************

"Tails and that raccoon sure are taking their time." Shadow muttered, glancing at the window.

"Mmm…" The red echidna sitting on the couch a few feet away from him replied.

The ebony hedgehog shook his head, "They're being dangerous. Hell knows what they could be causing between the dimensions."

The red echidna raised an eyebrow. "You really think a rift is being formed? That Marine simply being here could cause something like that?"

"Yes, I do. In fact, I know she can. Don't forget, Knuckles, the energy of the dimensions is Chaos Energy. Which, if you haven't noticed, is something I can control." Shadow replied, still watching the window.

The red echidna sighed. "Then, why don't you do something about the rift? If you can control the energy of the dimensions, why not just fix the rift?"

"…It's not that simple."

"'Course it's not. Nothing's ever that simple, is it?"

Shadow's eyes found the sky, where a million shining stars illuminated Mobius. Somewhere, a girl was watching the sky too, though the stars were different. He wondered what she was thinking.

"No. No, it isn't."

************

_**Author's Note**_**: This was previously a fiction created by ****Bureizu za Vampire****. However, she lost ideas for the fiction, and so I had the honor of receiving it from her. You'll notice that this chapter was very similar to hers, with a few differences. The story will grow to be even more different than hers, but don't worry, there will still be lots of aspects that are similar.**

**Please leave a review, as I really want to know if I've done well. I hope I haven't disappointed anyone, especially not you, Bureizu.**

**Thanks, everyone! :) **

**~Star**

**By the way, the main characters shall be Sonic, Blaze, Shadow, Tails, and Marine if you haven't picked up on that already.**


	2. The Consequences of Love

**November 30****th**** (9 days later).**

**The Castle, Solamar.**

**Blaze's Dimension.**

Blaze the Cat was standing in front of a crowd. Not exactly something unusual for her, being a queen. That's not to say she liked it. In fact, you could say it had always been at the top of her things-I-never-want-to-do list. But she didn't exactly have a choice, now did she? After all, it wasn't every day that your kingdom celebrates its 300th anniversary since independence. And it's not every day that you're the Queen, and you're supposed to deliver some mushy gushy speech about the courage of the soldiers and all the effort that went into the creating of the kingdom and blah blah blah yadda yadda yadda.

The feline sighed. She knew she was being arrogant, and unfair to the people. But to be honest, she didn't really care. If they had any idea what she was going through, what she was always worrying about, what was constantly nagging at her from the back of her brain, then maybe they'd understand her frustration.

She wrapped her shawl closer around her as the trumpets began to blow and the Royal Advisor announced her: "Presenting…Her Royal Majesty, Queen Blaze the 3rd of Solamar!"

She stepped forward, keeping her chin held high, refusing to let anyone know the pain she was going through. She refused to show any sign of weakness. She refused to let her people know how truly unfit she was to be their Queen.

"Greetings, people of Solamar!" Her voice rang out over the crowd that stood beneath the balcony, looking at her with eyes filled with wonder, hope, and excitement. "Today is a great day in the history of our nation!"

A cheer erupted from the crowd, and Blaze rose her hands for silence. "Exactly three hundred years ago our ancestors fought for what they believed was right. They threw aside all odds and won a war that would forever change the future of this nation. The age of Solamar was upon them. And so, fellow citizens, I wish you fair festivities. Remember the battles our ancestors fought with each step you take, and remember this ground was not won without pain, loss, and suffering. Live the life our ancestors fought to give you. Long live Solamar."

"Long live the Queen!" The crowd chanted, bursting into shouts and whistles again.

Blaze waved a calm, slow goodbye, then turned on her heel and exited back into the castle. She ignored Gardon's call of "Your Highness!" and continued up the long flight of stairs to her dormitory. She needed some time to think, to be away from all these ridiculous festivities.

She entered her chamber, closing the door behind her, trying not to slam it. She stomped over to her bed, and fell upon the cushions, wiping her hands down her face.

"You didn't do a terrible job, considering it was about a minute-and-a-half long speech," came a smirk from the doorway to her bathroom.

Blaze jerked upwards, slamming her head against her bedpost in the process. "Damn!" she muttered, rubbing her skull. "Oh…it's just you," she sighed in relief, once seeing the person in the doorway. He was a very familiar face these days, and probably one of her closest friends.

He continued to lean against the doorway, watching her. "You alright, Blaze?" he asked quietly.

She sighed. "I'm fine, Shadow. Why?"

"You didn't exactly seem too enthusiastic about your speech today."

"No. No, I wasn't."

"Why not?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. She closed it again, and her eyes found the floor. "…I'm not sure. I'm just sick of being a Queen right now."

The ebony hedgehog stopped leaning against the doorway, and stood straight. "Blaze," his deep voice began, "…this is about Sonic, isn't it?"

Blaze pulled her knees up, resting her head on them. "What's it matter to you, Shadow? I know how much you hate him. You won't even talk about him. I ask you how he is and all you say is 'fine'. Can you see how that might irritate me a bit?"

He didn't respond. It was true that the ebony hedgehog hated Sonic, but it wasn't necessarily for the reasons Blaze thought he did.

She sighed again, lying back on her bed and gazing at the ceiling. "…_How_ is he?" she asked.

"…Sonic's doing great. He's a worldwide superstar; got about every girl in the nation after him. There was a big celebration in Station Square last night celebrating his final defeat of Dr. Eggman. He's dating Rouge now, though I don't know how much longer that will last," Shadow reported, his eyes warily watching the feline. He knew how much this information killed her. But he also knew how much it made him closer to getting what he wanted.

Blaze gritted her teeth, "So he's with Rouge now, huh?" She nodded, forcing herself to swallow this information. "Yes…yes, I can see them together," she lied.

"Don't lie to me, Blaze," Shadow muttered. "I know how much you're still in love with him."

She abruptly sat up. "You have any idea how unfair it is, Shadow?" she asked, her voice surprisingly angry. "It's _damn_ unfair. That you, and you alone, can travel between the dimensions without causing some damn rift in time and space. It's unfair that only _you_ have the ability to move fast enough, to keep the energy safe enough, that you can see both Sonic and me easily. It's unfair that I had to give up _everything_ to keep the dimensions safe, and you…you have to give up _nothing_! It's effortless for you to travel between the dimensions! Effortless!!" Her voice had steadily risen, and she had now gotten off the bed and was moving towards Shadow, her hand alit with flames. The ebony hedgehog paid no attention to the fire that circled her palm, knowing that, even if she tried to hurt him, he would be able to move out of the line of fire minutes before she even thought about hurting him.

"You know it's not something I can control," Shadow replied, his voice deep and calm. "I can't help the fact that I was created the way I am. I can't help the fact that I can't take you back and forth between the dimensions. It's just impossible."

"I thought you were the Ultimate Lifeform," Blaze retorted. "I thought you could do _anything_."

He met her gaze steadily, crossing his arms. Not at all because he was angry, but because he was concerned. He hadn't seen her this angry in a long time. "Well, apparently I can't," he replied simply.

Blaze groaned, extinguishing the flames. She walked over to the sofa in the middle of her chamber, collapsing onto it and putting her face in her hands. "God…I'm sorry, Shadow," she whispered. "I just…I don't know what to do."

Shadow sighed, coming to sit next to her. "You know…you could always try getting over him."

She shook her head, moaning. "You know it's not that easy," she mumbled, closing her eyes and thinking, _No. It's so much more than just getting over him._

Shadow decided not to respond. That was probably a good thing. He didn't want to frustrate her more than he already was. His eyes slowly rose from his hands to her face, noticing how exhausted she looked. "You have been taking care of yourself, haven't you?" he asked. "You look…tired."

She laid her head against his shoulder. "Go ahead and just say it. I look a wreck. I look like Marilyn Monroe woken from the dead."

"I never said that," Shadow replied, though something akin to that of a smirk appeared on his face.

"Why _do_ you come around, Shadow? What's the point of visiting me? All I do is make you more depressed than you already are. You have to admit I haven't exactly been the most lively person."

"I like spending time with you."

"But why?"

"I just do. You have much more common sense than the others," Shadow shrugged. "Most days I end up spending with a bunch of girls who won't shut up about which dress to buy that will impress their boyfriends most."

She smirked, "How _is_ everyone else?"

"Same as always. Amy's in Law school. Silver…I dunno. Haven't seen him in ages. Rouge is in the modeling business—no surprise there—and Knuckles is still on that island. Dunno when he'll finally settle down. Heard he has his eyes on Shade. Doubt it." The ebony hedgehog decided to leave out the parts about Marine.

Blaze chuckled, saying, "What about Cream and Tails?"

"Tails is currently working with Bill Gates," Shadow said, looking at Blaze, glad to see she was smiling. He liked it when she smiled. "And Cream is in college. Majoring in psychology. Seriously. She's…" he nodded to himself, "she's a good kid."

"Psychology…" Blaze repeated, her eyes finding the floor. "…A lot has happened since I…left…"

"Not really," Shadow replied, closing his eyes and reclining on the sofa, "at least not in my book."

"Of course not," the feline snickered.

Shadow opened an eye to look at her, and asked, "You feeling any better?"

Blaze stood still for a second, then propped her head up with one elbow. She exhaled, answering, "…It's gonna take more than a little conversation to fix me, Shadow. Trust me."

"Guess I'm not the best at conversation. Not really my thing."

"Really? I hadn't noticed," the lavender feline rolled her eyes.

"I try."

"…I know."

The two were silent for a few minutes. Shadow glanced over at Blaze, seeing that she was passively rubbing her stomach and gazing out the window. The sun was setting, a brilliant shade of pink and orange lighting the sky, the sun's rays coming through the window and illuminating Blaze's face.

He stood up. "I need to get back to my dimension. GUN has me doing some mission stuff, I dunno."

She nodded, without taking her eyes away from the window. "Alright. Thanks for stopping by, Shadow."

"Hey," he said, taking her face in his hands and turning it so that she was looking at him. "Take care of yourself, alright? Get something to eat; you look like you've starved yourself for days. If not for yourself, just do it for me."

A slight smile twisted her lips. "Okay, Shad. But you don't need to-Oh, God."

A hand flew to Blaze's mouth, and she pushed him away. Rather roughly, one might add. She jumped up, racing towards the bathroom, leaving Shadow with a slight 'WTF?' face. He cocked an eyebrow, following her slowly. "Blaze?" he asked, confused.

A horrible retching sound came from inside Blaze's restroom. Shadow blinked, perplexed, then knocked on the door. "Blaze, what's going on?"

"Nothing! I'm fine!" Blaze called back to him, but this claim was instantly thrown out as soon as Shadow heard her begin to retch again.

His eyebrows furrowed together. "You, um…coughing up a hairball, or something?" he called.

When he got no response, and the sound of vomiting stopped, Shadow slowly opened the door. His eyes widened a bit when he found Blaze crumpled on the floor, tears streaming down from her eyes.

He was instantly beside her, one hand on her knee and the other on her shoulder. "Blaze, I want you to tell me what's going on right now," he told her, his blood red eyes intensely watching her.

She sobbed, collapsing into his arms and burying her face in his chest fur. "Oh God, Shadow…I'm ruined. I'm ruined. I was so stupid! So damn stupid!" she moaned.

"What are you talking about?!"

"I didn't think anything would happen, I swear!" she cried, her whole body wracking with sobs. "It just…he just started kissing me and before I knew it we-"

"Blaze, what the _hell_ did Sonic do to you?"

Blaze lifted her face to look Shadow in the eyes. A tear dripped down her cheek, and she shouted, "It isn't his fault! He didn't mean this to happen either! He never wanted to hurt me…"

"Would you just tell me what's wrong so I can try and help?!" Shadow grunted, far more worried than he was upset. She was having some sort of mental breakdown.

"Isn't it obvious, Shadow?!"

"Unless I'm missing the entire picture, no, it isn't!"

"I'm pregnant!" she yelled in his face, her eyes seeming to seethe with flames. Then they disappeared again, and all he could see was hopelessness, as she whispered, "I'm not married…and I'm pregnant. I've ruined everything, because I fell in love with some hot shot hedgehog who was probably the most charming man I've ever met. And I was foolish enough to follow him into bed…"

Shadow sat back, having released his hold on her knee and shoulder. He blinked at nothing in particular.

She continued to moan. "I've got to get a grip on myself…I have a _kingdom_ to rule, for God's sake! But I can't hide this forever! You can't hide pregnancy! Especially when you're a Queen, and you're single! My reputation will be ruined…my people will no longer trust me…"

"…How long has it…been? Since…" Shadow asked, his voice hardly audible.

"Since the child was conceived?" she asked, almost angrily, and on the edge of accusingly. "About two months. I'm getting dangerously close to people noticing I'm getting bigger."

"About two months…" Shadow repeated. "That bastard…"

Blaze whirled on him. "What did you say?!"

"I'll kick his furry blue ass for this. For what he's done to you. Bastard doesn't deserve you," Shadow muttered, gritting his teeth.

"Don't you dare touch him, Shadow! It's my fault, not his!" Blaze snarled.

Shadow's hand clenched into a fist. "How is it not his fault? Don't you know all he's been doing these days is sleeping around with girls he's never met before? He doesn't care about you; he never has," he snapped.

Blaze wasn't the kind of girl who would be hurt by Shadow's statement. She knew he was lying. "That's a lie, Shadow. He loved me and I loved him. Separating broke both our hearts."

Shadow knew she was right. But that didn't stop him from wanting to rip the hedgehog to pieces. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, looking away.

"Please don't do this to me," Blaze said quietly, her eyes finding the ground. "You're the only friend I have left, and you know it." She raised her eyes to look at him. "You're the only one I can trust."

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and sitting back down beside her. He took her hand in his, a sign of silent resignation. "I'm not going anywhere, Blaze," he said quietly.

It was a few minutes before the question that was replaying over and over in both of their heads was finally asked. "…What am I supposed to do?" Blaze whispered, her voice exhausted again.

Shadow didn't respond. He didn't like questions he didn't know the answers to.

"I'm just going to have to suck it up," the feline said, more to herself than to Shadow. "I'll find a way through this…I have to. I mean, after all," she slowly glanced down at her stomach, and Shadow was disgusted to find that she was looking at it almost…lovingly. A slight shiver of repulsion fell down his spine. That was Sonic's kid growing in there. Sonic, who Shadow had hated for as long as he could remember. "After all…it's Sonic's child," Blaze finished, the ever so slight smile appearing on her lips.

"…Does he know?" Shadow muttered, staring at the red tips of his boots.

Blaze shook her head. "No. I didn't find out until I got back here. I'm glad he doesn't know, though. I don't want to break his heart any more than I already have."

Shadow grimaced. Break Sonic's heart. Puh. The Blue Blur deserved quite a bit more than a broken heart.

"…Is he still mad at you and Tails?" the lavender feline asked, sighing. "I guess that's my fault. He blames you guys for sending me back here, doesn't he?" She glanced at the ebony hedgehog beside her.

Shadow nodded slowly. "Yeah. Doesn't really bother me, though. He can call me whatever he likes; doesn't change the fact that you had to leave."

"S'pose so," Blaze replied, closing her eyes. "Hey, uh…can you…can you get me a watermelon? I'm, like, in desperate need of a watermelon."

Shadow turned to raise an eyebrow at her. "You…you serious?"

She nodded. "I'm pregnant, Shadow. Us pregnant gals kinda have strange food tendencies."

"Oh," Shadow blinked, nodding slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, alright," he replied, and stood up, walking out the door.

As he left her chamber, he wiped a hand down his face and exhaled, thinking,

_And so it begins._

_**Author's Note: **_

_**Meh. So, here's another update for you guys. Not entirely pleased with it, but I still hope you guys will enjoy. **_

_**As you can see, I'm doing this slightly different from **__**Bureizu za Vampire**__**'s version, as Blaze is only now pregnant, and Shadow is playing a much larger role. Oh, yes, in case you don't understand what Blaze was talking about earlier, here's a bit of an explanation: **_

_**Apparently, only Shadow can travel between the dimensions without causing any trouble to time or space. This is what frustrates Blaze, as he can't take anyone with him. Only he can travel between the dimensions.**_

_**Anyway, this is the first part of my three-part holiday gift to all my fabulous readers out there. You guys know I'd be nothing without you. :)**_

_**~Star**_

_**P.S Please tell me if anything was rushed, or cheesy, or whatever. I'd really appreciate it. Thank ya much!**_


	3. Trouble Sleeping

**November 22****nd****, 4:00 in the morning. **

**Green Hill Zone, Mobius.**

**Sonic's Dimension.**

"Baby, I'm home!"

The call echoed around the foyer of a giant mansion, nestled grandly into the southern part of Green Hill Zone, not far off from Station Square. It was private and it was luxurious, with great, sweeping spiral staircases and polished granite flooring. Portraits of Sonic and his various family members lined the walls, and a giant fireplace burned in the left wall of the foyer, though the heavily cushioned loveseats around it were empty.

The front door slammed shut and Sonic strolled into the living room, a ridiculous grin on his face and smudged lipstick against his cheek. He poked his head into one of the many bedrooms of his mansion, hoping to find his current girlfriend. He had been hoping she would be here waiting, thrilled for his victory and ready to do just about anything for him.

"Babe? The party's over, there aren't any more cameras! I—" he paused, noticing a shadowy figure walking across the balcony above him. "Rouge?"

There wasn't any reply. Cocking an eyebrow, he grabbed onto the banister and ran upstairs, two stairs at a time. He put on his most charming smile and leaned against the doorway of the room he had seen her slip into. "Come on, baby. Whatcha hidin' for?" he asked, chuckling, though he had to blink several times to peer through the darkness of the room. "You know I won't bite. Unless you want me to, of course," he added, chuckling again at his own joke.

There was a few seconds pause until the woman in the room decided to answer. "…I'm not hiding from anyone, Sonic," came the whispered but harsh reply from within the dark room.

Sonic's smile turned to a grin. "Of course you aren't. That's uncharacteristic of you," he said softly but slyly, obviously trying to create a reaction. Every girl he had ever been around loved being complimented by him, whether it was an actual compliment or just a side comment. He was sure Rouge was no different.

But tonight she was. He knew this by the tone of her voice as she answered, "Turn on the lights and see for yourself."

But, this was just a joke, of course. Of course. Still, though, he didn't understand the humor. Flipping on the light switch, he rolled his eyes. "Aw, come on now, what is this? Some kind of jo—" He was unable to finish his sentence, as his eyes laid upon the articles of clothing scattered across the floor, the shattered glass sprinkling the rug, and the bat rummaging through the closet, tearing down clothing articles and carefully placing them into a suitcase. The suitcase was sprawled across the bed, already about three-fourths full of thousands of dollars worth of shoes, blouses, and lingerie.

"…Rouge, what are you doing?" Sonic asked, trying to convince himself that he truly didn't know what she was doing. But he did. He'd seen this picture before. Those green eyes of his, the ones that had never ceased to hold their luster, even after all of these years, followed her as she walked from closet to suitcase and back.

Her voice managed to stay strong as she answered him, though he could tell she was in quite a state. "You're well aware of what I'm doing, Sonic. I'm leaving," she said matter-of-factly, though her fists were clenched.

Sonic's eyes moved across the room again, surveying exactly how it had been changed. He'd designed the furniture of this room to fit her personality specifically, and now it seemed like it was backfiring on him. Plump crimson pillows had been thrown to the side in haste and the gorgeous maroon bed with the satin lace and horribly expensive lining was undone and messy, with Rouge's various items littering its surface. He noticed a portrait had been taken down from the wall and was lying broken, which would explain the shattered glass. Finally, he turned to look back at the bat herself, and replied just as matter-of-factly, "Why?"

This seemed to make her angry, for some reason Sonic couldn't begin to imagine, as she turned on her heels and penetrated his own irises with ones that were just as brilliant. "Of course you don't know why. You can't possibly conceive the fact that someone might not appreciate being used by you. You think the world's all just your little plaything."

"Plaything?" Sonic raised an eyebrow, standing fully upright from where he had been leaning against the wall and forcing a bit of a chuckle, but he was becoming irritated. "No, Rouge, I don't think you understand. You see, I gave up just about every—"

"I just can't take this anymore," Rouge interrupted, continuing her previous monologue as she continued to pack her suitcase. "You, being gone every night, having sex with some girl whom you think I don't know about. You, constantly at the bar, followed by cameras. You, on ever y magazine cover from here to Blue Ridge, with one swimsuit model or another," she listed. Then she stopped, turning to face him, her eyes fierce but sad. "You. Never really caring about _me_. You just needed somebody to help you get Blaze out of your mind. And I actually thought I could help you. I thought I could get you to love me, if not because of my personality, then because of my body." She glanced down, biting her lip in agitation or distress or some other womanly emotion that the hedgehog wasn't able to comprehend. At least, not until she rose her face again and said hotly, "But, Sonic, I was horribly wrong."

The blue hedgehog had begun to advance towards Rouge in anger, but these last few sentences had taken him by surprise. He stopped in his tracks, a sliver of glass cracking beneath the weight of his heel.

Since she had left, few had ventured to say Blaze's name aloud to Sonic, knowing it was most likely he would boil over and go off on them, keeping a grudge for days on end. In fact, it had gotten to the point where he never went and talked to his old friends much anymore. He just didn't want to. He hated showing weakness, and whenever he was with them it seemed like that was always the inevitable scenario.

Rouge stared him down for a few more, long, drawn-out seconds, then turned on her heel and began packing again. "So I'm leaving, Sonic," she said, as she folded a dress gently into the suitcase, "and you can make out with as many girls as you want without being unfaithful. Not that you ever cared, anyway."

She clamped the suitcase firmly shut, turning to look at him one more time. She exhaled but kept his gaze, as she firmly said, "Blaze is gone, Sonic. It's time you moved on." She let this statement linger in the air for a few seconds, knowing how great of an effect it would have on him. She knew how Sonic made himself look invincible to his fans, but in reality, he was anything but. She had seen him cry. She had seen him drunk. She had seen him lock himself away for hours on end with nothing but himself and a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Rouge took a few steps closer to him, bringing her hand up to stroke his cheek, her thumb tracing the edge of his rigid jaw. "I hope someday you'll find someone, Sonic. I really do. I hope someday you'll be able to be happy again." She paused, glancing down for a minute, then leaned inwards and pressed her lips against his for a few brief but lingering seconds. "I'm sorry I can't be your hero."

And with that, she pushed by him and walked out the door.

It took Sonic quite a while to realize to its full extent what had just happened. He stood blinking at the now empty bed before him, the shattered glass causing strange light reflections on the wall.

He had been left. By Rouge. By his girlfriend and by the only secure thing in his life at that time.

He was alone.

Again.

* * *

**November 22****nd****, 4:30 in the morning.**

**Station Square, Mobius.**

**Sonic's Dimension.**

Tails was having trouble sleeping. But that wasn't anything unusual. In fact, recently he had found that most nights he was just staring at the ceiling, unable to keep that one undeniable fact out of his head: One of these days, he was going to have to build another machine, and this one would take Marine away from him. Forever.

He rolled over, trying to force it all out of his head. He didn't even want to think about it. But he knew the longer he kept her here, the closer he would become attached to her, and the harder it would be the let her go. Not to the mention that the longer she stayed here, the greater the rift in time and space would be, or at least that's what Shadow said. And Tails was sure the ebony hedgehog was right. After all, it made perfect sense. The fact that two alternate dimensions could be combined into one, causing a catastrophic rift, because one of its factors had made a trip between the two, made sense as long as you were willing to look at the variables. But, as we all know, we probably shouldn't look into the workings of Tails' mind, as they're far too complicated for most of us to comprehend.

The kitsune exhaled, blinking up at the wallpapered ceiling above him, and then across the room, where Marine was huddled under a bunch of blankets in her own bed. Tails and Marine had had to share a room together because of the limited space of the flat they stayed in, but neither of them really minded. It gave them a chance to see each other more, which they both knew was something to cherish, because who knew how long it would last?

Finally, he dared a whisper. "…Marine?" he said quietly, almost inaudibly.

"Yeah, mate?" came the almost instantaneous reply.

Tails was rather shocked that the raccoon was still awake, never mind the fact that she had actually heard him. He sat up slightly, asking, "Can't sleep?"

"Nah." She tried to answer as though she wasn't bothered, but Tails caught the slight twinge of sadness in her tone.

"Mmm..." His eyes moved to the floor.

They sat in silence for a few moments, the two of them listening to each other's breathing. Both were waiting for the other to fall asleep, but it didn't seem to be happening. Evan after a long night like last night, neither one of them were tired enough that they were going to slip into slumber that easily.

Finally, Marine broke the silence. "Tails, it's absolutely freezin' in here. Did Shadow forget to turn on the heater or sommet?"

Tails' lips stretched into a grin as he heard her say this. "I'm not sure," he said faux-contemplatively, as he pulled back his covers and stood up, earning a raised eyebrow from Marine, "but, if you're cold, that just won't do."

"And what do you mean by tha'?" The raccoon asked, watching him cautiously. He had that notoriously sly look on his face, the one that she secretly loved but pretended to be wary of.

"I guess," The fox continued, the smile growing ever larger on his lips, as he crossed the carpeted floor to her bed, "I'm just going to have to suffice for right now."

"Tails, what are you-" Marine began, but she was instantly silenced as Tails decidedly plopped himself down on the bed beside her and threw his arms around her, pulling her in. This caused the poor raccoon to yelp in shock at this overdone display of affection, which just made Tails laugh even harder. Marine clamped a hand over his mouth to try and shush him, hissing, "Shhhh, Tails, you bladdy moron, you're going to wake everyone in the house!"

"You're just so cute," he chuckled, pressing his muzzle into the fur on her head.

She pushed him away roughly, rolling her eyes. "Dan't you _dare_ ever call me cute again," she told him, giving him a pointed look. Unfortunately, this look backfired, as it just made the vulpine's grin even wider.

"You're more hopeless than Sonic," she told him, exhaling irritably and turning away, trying to act as though she were angry at him, and failing miserably. In truth, she liked the fact that Tails' arms were placed around her waist far more than she cared to admit.

"No, I'm not," Tails countered playfully. He knew he was being overly careless, teasing her like this, but at the moment all he could think was 'damn the consequences.' He wanted to enjoy the silly little Aussie he was in love with for as long as he could.

"Oh, really?" Marine cocked an eyebrow at him, turning to look him in the eyes. "You're really going to look me in the eyes and tell me you're—"

She was interrupted by a sudden crash coming from downstairs. The two of them immediately sat upright, Tails throwing back the covers and running out of bed. He didn't even pause to slip on a robe as he ran out to the hallway, looking over the banister.

"Tailsss, God damn you! Where is it?!"

Tails' eyebrows furrowed in confusion, as he realized that the voice shouting his name was Sonic. The blue hedgehog was storming through the kitchen, throwing back dishes and searching drawers for something. Tails clutched the banister tightly, swallowing hard. Sonic was drunk, mad drunk; that was evident enough in his slurred and crazed speech. He was hard to deal with when he was drunk. But Tails was going to have to handle this calmly.

He made his way down the staircase, trying to keep his breathing even as he heard Sonic slamming shut one of the cabinets. Tails saw Amy out of the corner of his eye, the poor hedgehog's eyes wide with fear, and he beckoned for her to go back to her room. He would take care of this.

"Sonic." The fox said simply, quietly, as he reached the bottom of the stairs. He didn't take his hand off of the banister.

"Where is it, Tails?!" Sonic whirled on him, and Tails couldn't keep the pang of guilt and fear from flashing through him as he saw Sonic's bloodshot, exhausted eyes. It made him wonder how much more the blue hedgehog could take.

"What are you talking about, Sonic?" Tails tried to answer reasonably, but his voice was slipping in and out of his control. "You just burst into my home and began tearing through my kitchen. What do you want, some cereal?" There was no humor in the kitsune's voice.

Sonic's teeth clenched. "You know what I want, Tails."

"No, Sonic, I don't. You haven't even cared to visit in months. I don't know what would make you do so now," Tails replied, his hands balling up into fists. This was making him angry.

"I want to see the God damn machine!" Sonic cried, grabbing Tails by the collar and slamming him into the wall. "The one you promised to make months ago!"

Tails winced, struggling under Sonic's grip. "I…Sonic…you're drunk, you're crazy, man, you-"

"I want you to know how it feels!" Sonic yelled, causing Amy to give a small shriek from where she was standing at the top of the stairs, watching. Marine was with her, the raccoon being held back by the hedgehog.

"Sonic, stop it!" Tails yelled back, trying to force the blue hedgehog back. "You need to go home, and you need to get some sleep. You're a wreck."

This caused a rude, forced, almost choked laugh to come out of Sonic's throat. "You think _this_ is me at my worst? Tails, you haven't seen anything close to my worst," the hedgehog tightened his grip around Tails. "You have no idea what it's like to be at Sonic the damn hedgehog's worst."

Tails swallowed, his hands shaking. "Go home, Sonic. Clean yourself up."

"No. Not before you show me the machine. I want you...to feel…how I felt," Sonic's voice quivered with emotion as he pressed the poor fox against the wall. "How it felt…when I had to let go of the _one thing_ that I thought really cared…really cared about me. Me, as a person. Not me, because I'm a hero. No, she loved me because I was Sonic Nathaniel. Not because I was Sonic the Hedgehog. I want you to know how it feels, Tails! To have to give that _all_ away!" Sonic was shouting now, his nails digging into Tails' skin.

"Sonic, this is crazy! I'm your best friend!" Tails blustered, trying to wriggle out of Sonic's grasp. "You know it wasn't my decision to send Blaze back! We had no choice! If we didn't, the whole universe would be lost, because she was from that dimension—"

"And Marine is any different?!" Sonic snarled, baring his teeth.

Tails' eyes widened. How…how could Sonic know about him and Marine? Sonic was never around to see Tails, let alone around to see Tails and Marine _together_!

"I-I'm building the machine for Marine, Sonic," the fox replied, wrenching himself out of Sonic's grip and staring at Sonic with blazing eyes. "She…she and I…we aren't what you think-"

"You've always been a God awful liar, Tails," Sonic snorted. "Don't you think that after all these years I'd know you well enough to tell when you're telling the truth or not?"

"It wouldn't surprise me, Sonic," Tails retorted. "I don't even think I know you anymore."

Sonic turned away, gritting his teeth. "Build the machine, Tails," he said, as he started to walk away. "And don't think I won't be watching."

* * *

_Author's Notes: Finally got around to finishing this chapter. I realize it's a bit shorter, but I'm afraid this story's chapters will be shorter than most of my other fiction's chapters. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Do tell me what you think. _

_By the way, I do know that Sonic was OOC. That was on purpose. ;)_


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